To improve a running performance on a wet road, a pneumatic tire comprising various shapes of drainage grooves has been proposed. In addition to the drainage grooves, a pneumatic tire comprising a sipe having a narrow groove width is also proposed. The latter pneumatic tire has a higher wet performance owing to absorption efficacy and edge efficacy of a sipe.
The tread portion provided with the sipe is liable to have low rigidity, and such a tire has poor steering stability and wear resistance.
To enhance the wear resistance and comfortable ride while keeping the high wet performance, the under-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses a pneumatic tire comprising an improved circumferential groove, sipe, and block. However, in such a pneumatic tire, there was room for further improvement in the steering stability.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-206020.